This invention relates generally to disposable absorbent articles for adult persons, and more specifically to disposable protective underwear, e.g., briefs, which offer various advantages over the prior art, e.g., are more convenient to use, provide improved body conformance, comfort, reduced leakage, simplicity of construction and reduced cost.
As populations continue to increase in longevity, incontinence, a problem of age presents a need for fluid control in undergarments. In particular, adult incontinence represents a transition from underwear to the use of some type of absorbent article to be added to the underwear or to completely replace it. For moderate-to-heavy incontinence needs a variety of disposable diaper designs are commercially available. Nevertheless certain deficiencies have been recognized in diapers that are currently found in the market place. For example, many of them, particularly high capacity designs, are thick and bulky, thus rendering concealment difficult. Moreover many of such prior art absorbent articles are complex in construction and are somewhat difficult to put on.
The patent literature includes various diapers and other absorbent disposable articles which are arranged to be worn to absorb and retain waste products from a person (child or adult). See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,675 (Buckley et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,318 (Toth); U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,415 (Takemoto); U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,344 (Toth); U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,949 (Karami et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,673 (Yarbrough et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,919 (Roessler et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,390 (Hall et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,086 (Kling); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,848 (Roe et al.), all of which disclose absorbent articles which may be of various shapes, such as rectangular, trapezoidal, T-shaped, I-shaped, hour-glass shaped, but which include various elastic components and/or other structural features, such as adhesive mounting tabs.
In addition to the absorbent articles described in the aforementioned prior art patents, various absorbent articles of this type are commercially available from several manufacturers. One such commercially available absorbent disposable undergarment or brief is that sold by a division of the assignee of the subject invention, namely, Tyco Healthcare Retail Group, Inc. (previously known as Kendall Confab Retail Group) under the trademark xe2x80x9cSupremexe2x80x9d adult briefs. An illustration of a typical prior art Supreme adult brief 10 mounted in position on a person is shown in the side view of FIG. 1. As can be seen in that figure the side portions 11 and 12 of the brief are of generally rectangular shape and are secured together by a pair of fastening tapes 13 and 14 on each side of the brief. The rectangular shape of the overlapping side portions may result in the imposition of tension and stresses in the fastened areas contiguous with the legs of the wearer, particularly when the wearer is sitting down. This action, may have the effect of detracting somewhat from the comfort of the undergarment. Moreover, in the area of the sides of the wearer""s buttocks merging with the wearer""s legs the back portions of the undergarment are of a less than ideal ergonomic shape, e.g., they are a relatively right-angled corner, which may detract from wearer comfort.
Thus, while the prior art disposable protective undergarments may be generally suitable for their intended purposes, they nevertheless leave something to be desired from the standpoints of ease of use or mounting, good conformance to the body of the wearer, resistance to leakage, comfort, simplicity of construction and reduced manufacturing cost.
A protective underwear, e.g., brief, arranged to be worn by a person to trap and collect loose or liquid waste products of the person. The underwear has a front section, a back section and a central section. The front section has a front top edge and a pair of front side edges. The back section has a back top edge and a pair of back side edges. The central section has a pair of central side edges and is located between the front and back sections.
The back section includes a pair of fastening members, e.g., releasably securable tapes, secured thereto, with one of the fastening members extending beyond one of the back side edges and the other of the fastening members extending beyond the other of the back side edges.
Each of the central side edges has a first central edge region and a second central edge region. The first central edge region of each central side edge is of a concave arcuate shape, while the second central edge region is of a generally S-shape having a concave portion and a convex portion. The first central edge regions are contiguous with respective ones of the front side edges, with the convex portions of the second central edge regions being contiguous with respective ones of the first central edge regions and with the concave portions of the second central edge regions being contiguous with respective ones of the back side edges.
The two fastening members are arranged to be secured to respective portions of the front section of the underwear to mount the underwear in place on the wearer, with the central section being located adjacent the wearer""s crotch. When so mounted each of the first central regions of the central side edges provides a high cut area contiguous with the front of the wearer""s leg adjacent the wearer""s crotch and each of the convex portions of the second central edge regions provides substantial coverage of the wearer""s buttocks.